Long-time Providence Executive Kerry Carmody to Retire

LOS ANGELES (July 25, 2012) – Kerry Carmody, a passionate healthcare administrator who transformed a community hospital into a nationally recognized medical center, announced this week his plan to retire after nearly 40 years with Providence Health & Services, Southern California.

Carmody is the Catholic not-for-profit healthcare organization’s regional chief operating office, but made his mark in the San Fernando Valley as chief executive of Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. With numerous awards for quality, safety and outreach, the Mission Hills hospital is known in the industry as the “little engine that could.”

Since April, he has served as interim chief executive at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center, where he began his career in 1974. He is overseeing the selection of that hospital’s new chief executive, expected to be announced in August, and will remain until Nov. 1 to ease the transition for a new regional COO.

“Kerry is the heart and soul of Providence in the Valley and beyond,” said Michael Hunn, senior vice president and chief executive of Providence Southern California. “He is extraordinarily passionate about our Mission of outreach to the poor and vulnerable, living it professionally and in his private life where he in an avid volunteer for at least a dozen charity organizations.”

Carmody entered the healthcare field as a medical technologist at Providence Saint Joseph, and then moved up in to various leadership roles. He served five years as division director of clinical services at Providence Saint Joseph before a 1996 promotion to operations director for the San Fernando Valley Service Area.

In 1999, Carmody was appointed chief executive of Providence Holy Cross, and in 2009 was named regional COO, overseeing operations at five medical centers, numerous outpatient programs, affiliated physician organizations and Providence High School in Burbank.

“Few people love the work they do. I am fortunate to be among them,” Carmody said. “The people of Providence and their dedication to our patients and the community have inspired me over four decades and I am grateful to have been a part of that tradition of service to those most in need.”

His most recent accomplishment includes overseeing health care reform-inspired efforts toward efficiency and improved quality, among them the new Providence Partnership for Health physician organization and a new affiliation with Facey Medical Group and its Facey Medical Foundation. The goal of both initiatives is to create a seamless continuum for patients.

Carmody is known for his open door policy and his frequent walks through hospital halls to understand what’s happening on the front lines. He drove the recent expansion of Providence Holy Cross, driven by the need to expand health care in a region hit hard by a series of hospital closures.

He has been active in numerous professional and community organizations including his appointment to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Homeland Security Advisory Team. He mentored young men through Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern California, sat on the boards of Alemany High School and Guardian Angel Elementary School in Pacoima, and has been active in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Arthritis Foundation, the College of the Canyons nursing program and Esperanza International, a home-building charity in Tijuana.

Carmody lives in Valencia with his wife Kristie, and is active there with the Samuel Dixon Family Health Center, the Foundation for Children’s Dental Health, the Downed Officer Foundation supporting families of officers lost in the line of duty and the Love Ride, benefiting muscular dystrophy.

Carmody grew up in Burbank and attended Burroughs High School. He received his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Linfield College, his master’s degree in medical technology from California State University, Dominguez Hills, and his MBA from the University of La Verne.

Connect with Us

Providence Resource Line

About Providence Health & Services

Providence Health & Services, Southern California, provides the South Bay, Westside and San Fernando Valley a full spectrum of care that includes leading-edge diagnostics and treatment, outpatient health centers, the well-regarded Providence Medical Institute, numerous outreach programs and clinics, hospice and home care and Providence High School, a Blue Ribbon college-preparatory campus. Learn More >